When Robert Moore of Dallas made a routine trip to the store, he shocked his wife when he returned with some groceries and a $2 million scratch-off win.
“She asked me to run to the store,” Moore recalled. “She wanted me to pick up some vegetables.”
When Moore returned home with his ticket, he handed it to his wife to scratch.
“She said ‘You need to come in here,’” Moore remembers. “I could not believe it.”
Moore, a retired veteran, bought his lucky $20 Win Big ticket at a Walmart on Dallas Cherryville Road in Dallas and won the first $2 million top prize in the new game.
When Moore arrived at lottery headquarters Monday, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. He chose the lump sum of $1.2 million and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $858,006.
Moore purchased a brand-new pickup truck only a week before claiming his prize and plans to use some of his winnings to pay it off.
The Win Big game debuted last month with three prizes of $2 million and six prizes of $100,000. After Moore’s win, two $2 million and five $100,000 prizes remain.
Play Smart, Gift Smart is the N.C. Education Lottery's annual campaign highlighting the risks of youth gambling. The campaign raises awareness that popular holiday scratch-offs should only be gifted to adults. In this year’s campaign, North Carolinians can donate school supplies at a lottery claim center, support a good cause, and get a chance to win a prize. Visit Play Smart. Gift Smart. - NCEL Play Smart for more information